Mary and Martha working for Fair Trade
A social enterprise business run by two Britons is making a real difference for artisans in Mongolia.
Mary and Martha Mongolia, is a small business based in Ulaanbaatar that works to offer opportunities to Mongolian people to ensure they get a fair price for their hand crafted goods.
The shop, which focuses on items handmade by Mongolians and Mongolian Kazakhs, moved to its present location in central Ulaanbaatar last year. In 2011, they received a membership certificate from the World Fair Trade Organization, making it the first fair trade business in the country.
Shop owners Bill and Irene Manley left the UK 11 years ago and started the shop, whose name is derived from the Bible, in a bid to be the bridge bringing together the skills, creativity, and products of artisans, helping them to reach markets they otherwise could not have reached.
“We want to demonstrate that ethical, transparent, fair trade business is viable in Mongolia and that everyone in the supply chain can make a living wage or better, and I think by becoming the first World Fair Trade Organization registered business in Mongolia, we have proved that,” said Irene, who is originally from Perth in Scotland.
“Mongolia is huge, and our network of artisans spreads across the length and breadth of the country.
“By networking small businesses from the far-flung parts of Mongolia, we enable people to stay in the countryside – avoiding the need to migrate to the capital city to survive.
“Artisans can earn an income all year round, they can feed their families, and they can have other choices in life, such as providing education for children and providing medicine if a family member is sick. Life is not just so much on the edge as it is for many people here.
“We would like our projects to be able to sit on a shelf in another country and look good and look that they are there because of the quality and design.
“We are not a charity. People are not supporting the products because they are sorry for Mongolia or sorry for the artisans but the product is actually a worthwhile product in its own right.”
Mary and Martha Mongolia is located off Peace Ave, northwest of 40K Bistro.
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